From Pacifist to Genocide Book 1: Several Hundred Runs Earlier
by AwesomeFanFictionAuthor
Summary: I don't remember much, and there is this strange companion in my head. Everybody I meet down here wants me dead. But I didn't do anything to them! It doesn't matter though. According to that wall, it's my destiny to save them. It doesn't matter who gets in my way. Not myself, not Chara, and certainly NOT Flowey! I'm filled with determination, and going to save everyone!
1. Chapter 1

The skeleton was finally asleep. Fully asleep? I stepped delicately towards him, making as little noise as possible. He wasn't teleporting me to a safe distance, anymore. I got closer...closer. He was sleeping soundly...A smile crept across my face, and my grip on my knife tightened as I raised it menacingly in the air...

I had used SO many resets on this fight, alone. Perhaps as many resets as all of the other ones put together. This skeleton had proven ridiculously difficult to kill. But if he was asleep, there was nothing else he could do. He would pay for the years upon years of pain and suffering he had caused her! Their Determination's had clashed, and now he was finally succumbing to exhaustion. He lost. I won.

I would taste that skeleton's dust. Literally, I was going to lick the dust off my blade. I inched closer...closer...this was it.

And then I slashed! And he woke up and dodged. My eyes widened. Was he kidding me?!

"heh, did you really think you could-"

My eye twitched, and fast as lightning, I turned the knife around into reverse grip and slashed that skeleton across the chest. Direct hit. I would get a lot of LOVE from this. It was finally over.

I sneered down at him and went to lick the dust off my blade, so he could see it while he was still conscious.

But it wasn't dust on the blade...it was a red...sticky liquid...it was on my hands...it was pouring out of Sans. It was on me.

Sans...Sans was...bleeding. My best friend...bleeding...blood? It wasn't...supposed to be blood. My friend...bleeding then same blood that ran through my own veins...no, but mine was tainted. Tainted with evil...

I shook my head and took a step back, a hot...strangling feeling overtook me. What...what had I done? I killed...so many people...so...many...people...

How did I get here? What did I do? How...how did this happen?

It began...a long time ago. A single decision...made all this...all this destruction...all this death...it went back to the very beginning.

Back several hundred runs...


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up. Where was I? It was dark, but I could see a ray of sunshine coming down from the ceiling, I had a memory of climbing Mt. Ebott and tripping on a vine or something…and then falling down a hole.

My name was Frisk. I was human. I came from the surface. I climbed Mt. Ebott, the mountain where monsters were sealed at the conclusion of the war of humans and monsters. Humans and monsters had been fighting because…um.

And I went to the mountain, even though no human returned from there because…uh…

I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember much of anything.

"Hello."

"Hello?" I looked out into the darkness. I didn't see anyone. There were shadowed areas. Was the voice coming from there? I went over to the shadowy corners of the room. I couldn't see anyone there.

"You're not going to find me. I'm a voice in your head. My name is Chara."

"Nice to meet you, Chara." I said. A voice in my head, huh? I was glad to have her. This way I wouldn't be alone. We were going to be great friends, I knew it.

"You don't have to talk to me out loud. Talk to me in your head and I'll hear it."

Oh, my bad Chara. Though, it's a little weird that you can read my thoughts. This time there was no response.

Well, I'd be fine with my own thoughts for a while. She would answer if she wanted. I really wanted to get to know this girl…voice…whatever. She was such a mystery. I started walking in the only direction there was to go.

"Golden flowers. They must have broken your fall." Chara said. I smiled, I was glad she wasn't just deciding to ignore me. I never actually noticed. It was true, in the small patch of sunlight from the hole I fell through, there were some golden flowers growing. They grew in a room that was so lifeless otherwise. And they were so pretty…I picked one of them and smelled it. It smelled familiar…it smelled like home.

Wait, it smelled like home? I didn't know what home was, though. So how could something remind me of a home I didn't know…?

So, I tucked it into the neck of my turtleneck sweater, so I could keep smelling it. If I had a little bit of home with me, I could get back to it. I knew it in my soul. It would remind me of the surface that I didn't remember. Maybe the smell would even bring my memories back.

I walked forward, with a hand on the wall. It was made of rock, cool to the touch. I turned a corner and saw another light from another small hole in the…ceiling? Cave roof? Whatever you were supposed to call it. There was a small patch of grass growing in the sunlight, and in the center of that, a single flower. Why was there only one over here? It must have been lonely. Maybe I could find some water for the flower, something nice.

As I got closer, I could see that the flower had a face, a smiley face. Aw, that was neat, a smiling flower. And as I walked closer the flower came into sharper detail and…lost its color…and it got really dark, like, darker than before. Like pitch black. And then the flower started talking to me.

"Howdy. My name is Flowey, Flowey the Flower."

Oh my goodness, a talking, smiling flower. I loved it immediately.

"Howdy, Flowey! My name's-"

"You look like you're new around here. Don't worry, lil ol' me will show you how things work around here. See that heart?" he pointed at my chest with a leaf. I looked down. My body was black and white and seemed sharper than usual, just like Flowey. But, not only that, there was also a glowing red heart shape, about the size of my palm, floating near my chest.

"What is it?"

"That is your soul. The very culmination of your being." Flowey explained. My soul, huh? I didn't know it could do that, and I don't know that I ever pictured my soul as a little floating heart shape. Then again…I could only really remember up to five minutes ago. There were some basic things I just…knew, but this soul thing was not one of them. I had no way to know if it was something that I used to know or not. Flowey looked at it for a moment.

"Your soul is weak right now, but can grow strong with LV."

"El vee?" I asked.

"It stands for LOVE! You want some love, don'tcha?" Flowey asked.

"Of course. Love is the most important thing in the world!" I exclaimed. Flowey smiled brighter.

"It sure is. Well, down here, we spread love through little white friendliness pellets." As he said this, what looked like flower petals started floating behind him, and then they started floating toward me. He was willing to share some love with me to make my soul stronger, how nice of him!

"Go ahead, collect as many of them as you can!" Flowey encouraged. I eagerly ran up to them. Aw, things down here were so nice. And how considerate of-

As soon as I touched one of them, I was in an unbelievable amount of pain. I felt like I was only barely holding onto life…I fell to my knees, gasping for air. Was this because…of the petals? I looked up at Flowey. He was…different. He had morphed into what looked sort of like a skull. No longer a cute, smiling flower, he looked like something out of a nightmare…blacked out eyes…big teeth…his entire being emanated animosity. What happened…?

"You idiot!" He yelled at me. It was hard to hold on to consciousness. Was this real? Was the flower morphing, or was I hallucinating? Either way it was terrifying. The friendliness pellets…they were a lie.

"How could I pass up an opportunity like this?" His voice was still high pitched like before, it almost sounded innocent like before, but there was this…monstrous undertone full of hatred. As I tried to pull myself up to my feet to run away, the petals appeared in a sphere around me. There was no way out. There was no escape.

"DIE!" He said, very matter of factly. The petals rushed towards me. This was it, I was going to die. I closed my eyes tight and waited for the impact…waited for my death.


	3. Chapter 3

And then suddenly, I felt better. There was no impact…at least I didn't feel any. Maybe my death was instant so that I didn't feel it? And I was a ghost now? I heard a yelp that sounded like it came from Flowey, and his terrifying evil laughter had stopped.

I peeked one eye open, and then opened the other. I was just in time to see Flowey flying through the air, this silly expression on his face. It almost made me forget the danger and laugh. Then he disappeared. He didn't just fly and land somewhere, he vanished into the blackness. And a creature walked out of the darkness. A creature I could only describe as…a goat…thing…on hind legs…in a dress? It looked pretty annoyed. It didn't look annoyed at me, though, the goat monster was looking off into the distance, at Flowey?

"How rude, taking advantage of an innocent child." I heard that her voice was feminine. So the monster was probably female? If monsters had a gender to begin with…If monsters had the concept of gender…Anyways, she looked down at me, her face softening instantly. I didn't know if I trusted that…Sure, she looked nice…but so did Flowey.

I would trust her. Just because one monster's appearance turned out to be deceiving, didn't mean all of the monsters would be mean. To judge the whole of a species by a single individual. That would not be fair to anyone.

"Hello, I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I come here periodically to check if anyone has fallen down."

So, is this where the humans who climbed Mt. Ebott went? Maybe I would get to see them? That would be cool!

"Follow me, I shall guide you through the ruins." Toriel said.

"I-"

"You can't go back through the hole you fell through with a big ladder. There's a magic barrier." Chara countered. It was so weird, it didn't sound quite like someone outside was talking to me, but it sounded like me thinking…but it wasn't my thoughts, and it was a different voice. I guess I mean…my ear couldn't hear her, just my mind.

"I'd love to follow you." I said, since I was already in the middle of a sentence when Chara answered. Toriel just nodded in response. Then the blackness faded into a pale purple, and Toriel's lines became softer and her dress turned purple. I looked down at myself and found that my blue and purple striped sweater was back, and the floating heart was gone.

Toriel reached her hand out towards me, a warm smile on her face. She looked so fuzzy and soft. I took her hand. She was, she was fuzzy and soft and warm…but there were also claws on those paws…in those paws? Whatever the right term was.

She led me gently forward. Everything about her seemed gentle…protecting…maternal. At least, that was the feeling I got from her. We emerged from a dark hallway into a room that looked like the entrance to a big mansion or building or something. There were these two staircases and…leaves. I looked around in amazement at the red leaves scattered around on the floor. Did they come down from the surface? Was it autumn? Playing in the leaves sounded like fun.

So I ran right into that pile of leaves and jumped, laughing with joy. The leaves cracked and crinkled underneath my weight. If there were leaves here, just like there were leaves on the surface…If they could get down here, then I could get back up there! I was sure I could! I was determined to make it happen!

And as I thought that…something incredible happened. Or maybe it was something completely normal. I had no idea of knowing. But it felt like it was something extraordinary to me. A little sparkly light appeared in front of my head. I marveled at it…it was beautiful…and then it was gone.

What made that happen? Chara? What was that?

Chara didn't answer.

Man, Chara was sure selective about when she chose to talk to me. I played in the leaves a little while longer. Toriel didn't seem to mind. She just watched from the stares. When I was done, I got up and walked over to her. I was feeling much, much better after that. As we finally walked through the doorway to the Ruins, Toriel began to explain things.

"There are many puzzles here in the Underground. Please get your eyes accustomed to the sight of them." She said. There was a closed door, blocking our progress, and a series of large buttons on the floor. I looked at her questioningly. "Observe." Toriel stepped on several of the buttons, depressing them into the floor. When she was done, the door opened!

Toriel walked through the now open doorway, but a sign caught her attention, a sign on the side of the doorway. It had some sort of blocky looking lettering. I couldn't read it.

"The brave, the foolish, both walk not the middle path."

Oh, Chara talked again! Was that what the sign said?

No answer. I had to assume that was what the sign said.

Anyways, I followed Toriel through the doorway into a larger hallway. There was water here…and ivy growing on the walls, and more leaves. For a cave, this sure did have a lot of vegetation! And I was glad for it. Somehow, the presence of the plants made me feel calmer. More determined to make it through here.

Toriel got to a wall of spikes about as tall as she was.

"There are many puzzles like this. I wonder, can you figure it out?" She asked. She sounded quite a bit like a teacher.

I looked around the room for hints. There were two switches on the wall. One had a bunch of painted arrows pointed to it! Ooh! I bet it was that one! I eagerly ran over to it and pulled the lever. It made a cute little chime and the spikes lowered.

"Very good, my child!" Toriel said. "Come, there is much more to see!"

And so I followed her into the next room. There was a little space cleared, and a stuffed…thing? It had sort of a triangular body and head, and it smelled of mothballs. This had clearly been in storage for a long while.

"As a human in the Underground, monsters will attack you. When this happens, you will enter the void and have a fight. When this happens, strike up a friendly conversation. Please talk to the dummy. I will come to resolve the conflict."

A fight? I gulped…and slowly made my way up to the dummy…

The colors faded.


	4. Chapter 4

So, what, Toriel wanted me to talk to a dummy? I looked at it. It…was an inanimate object. She knew that, right? It didn't have a mouth. Maybe she thought it was like plants. You talked to them and it helped?

I looked next to me. Toriel was there, looking expectantly.

"This is what you need to do when you enter the void, my child. Monsters may want to harm you, and when they do, you will be transported to this place. If you run with a strong desire to escape, you may be able to get away. Then again, you may not. The only sure way to escape the void is to get whoever you are facing to stop wanting to fight you. I find the best way to do this is to talk. So, when you are ready, practice having a conversation with the dummy." Toriel smiled.

I stepped up to the dummy. It looked more like the type of thing you were supposed to practice punching.

"There's more than one way to get a monster to stop wanting to fight, you know. And overpowering it is actually a much faster way." Chara piped in. That made sense. A monster would certainly not want to fight if it was hurt, or feared for its life. I wasn't here to beat up the monster population, though. Plus, that would upset Toriel, and she seemed so gentle and kind.

The dummy stared at me with its button eye as I approached.

"Hello. I love your eye! Can we work out our differences another way?" I said.

"The dummy ignores you and launches projectiles at you. What do you do?" Toriel asked.

"Avoid the attacks as best I can, and try to reach out again." I said. Toriel made a gesture that seemed to imply I should go on and say what I would in that situation. I ran up to the dummy, gave it a hug, and whispered in its ear. "It's going to be ok."

The void faded, and I was able to see the purple rock again. Toriel beamed at me, which...actually was just a bit disturbing, what with her huge monster teeth. I could sense her warm kindness, though.

"Very good, my child. Now, we are about to enter grounds where other monsters live. When they see you, they may try to attack you, but do not worry. Remember what you did with the dummy. I will be right here if you need help." She said. I was about to go into the monster den…I could only imagine what sort of horrible creatures there might be…

I walked down the hallway. And then...a frog creature hopped up to me. It looked sort of...scared, but also determined. Oh, wait, no, it wasn't going to-

...It was. We entered the void.

Friendliness pellets started floating toward me...these were shaped like flies. I ran around, but they were all over the place and coming towards me. One hit me in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"You should probably dodge." Chara commented. I nodded in response. I figured that out, already, but I knew she was just trying to be helpful.

What did Toriel say? Strike up a friendly conversation.

"Your eyes are lovely!" I cried out. The frog blushed, and stopped attacking.

"Geez, are eyes all you can complement?" Chara snarked as the void faded. I smiled and gave the frog a pat. It blushed more and hopped away.

"Very well done!" Toriel said, and beamed.

As we made our way through the twists and turns of the hallway, I ran into a few other monsters. A fly/moth thing that sent us into the void but then disappeared as soon as I tried to say anything, a root vegetable that wanted me to eat a carrot it threw at me, and a pile of jello that just jiggled. I jiggled back. We have an understanding.

I wondered why the ruins were like this. They weren't very…close to my idea of what I thought ruins should be. Where were the crumbling buildings? There were just puddles of water and…well…walls were cracked and there was ivy…but it didn't look like it had been built up and then crumbled over time. It looked like the design in the wall was chiseled out.

"Toriel, why is this just one continuous hallway?"

"When the monsters were driven Underground, they first needed to get as far away from the surface as possible. Once we got a certain distance in, we started digging more livable spaces. We'll get there soon." Toriel said. We went across a small bridge over a stream. I guessed there was water, even underground.

Then Toriel stopped and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Please get to the end of this hallway."

And then she ran off. She just...turned and took off. My eye went wide, and it took me a second to register what was going on. Once I did, I took off after her, but I had no way of catching up to her.

Why was she running? Was this a trap? Was she betraying me?

"She's abandoning us." Chara said. It sounded like she may have had some other comment to go with that, but held back.

"No, she wouldn't!" I countered out loud.

"How do you know?"

I had no answer to that. I didn't know, but I believed in her. So, if she wasn't abandoning me, and this wasn't a trap or something...why was she running away?

I glanced backward, and caught sight of something yellow sinking quickly into the ground...flower petals...It was Flowey.

Oh...oh no...Flowey recovered, and he was coming to get back at Toriel, and to get my soul. Oh no.

I ran harder, faster than I had before...but then I ran out of breath and had to stop. I looked back...Flowey wasn't there. I looked forward...Toriel wasn't there either...I was alone.

Well, alone save for Chara.

I looked around…monsters poked their heads out from behind corners and looked at me warily.

I ran, then. I didn't want to fight anymore monsters, I was getting hurt pretty badly. Yes, I was able to befriend the monsters, but before I did, they would shoot their bullets at me. I was getting better at dodging, but I still got hit a few times...and Toriel left me.

Then I came across something strange. There was a solitary column at the end of the hallway. I slowed up and approached cautiously...I looked around the column, dragging my hand across it, and found Toriel.

"Toriel?!"

"Oh, you've found me! Good job!"

"Toriel, why did you run away?"

"I was testing your independence. You passed with flying colors! I was watching from here, and would have stepped in if you got in trouble."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew there was a good reason for her running off. She hadn't abandoned me, she was just teaching me how to survive in the underworld. But, I didn't really want to live in the underworld, I wanted to go back to the surface. Still, it was a very kind gesture.

"Now…I must ask you to wait here. I have some things to pick up before we get home, and there are some puzzles ahead that aren't safe."

"You're leaving again?" I asked. I began to get a little nervous. "I'm hurt. If I stay here myself…I might not make it…"

Toriel nodded and handed me a few pieces of candy she had in her pocket. I couldn't place the smell…but it wasn't licorice. I could tell that, at least.

"Uh, thanks...?" I was confused. I told her I was hurt, and her response was to give me candy.

"Eat one." Toriel said simply. I looked between her and the candy, then slowly unwrapped one and popped it in my mouth. I immediately felt better…I still felt hurt, but I didn't feel like I was about to die anymore. I ate more of them and soon felt as good as ever. "When you are in the void, monsters can hurt your soul, food can heal it."

"Interesting!" I said.

"I am glad you find it so. Now…I have some things I want to pick up before we get home. I must ask you to stay here."

"But mom-"

Wait…why did I just call her mom? She kept calling me her child but…um…she wasn't my mom? We just met a little while ago? She seemed shocked by it too, but didn't say anything. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone.

"Here, I will give you a cellphone. If you need anything, call me. You know how to use it?"

"Yeah." I responded, and I did.

"Good. I'll be back soon. Be a good child." Toriel said, then patted me on the head, turned, and walked off.


End file.
